Don't Go It Alone
by QueenoftheWilderwest
Summary: Astrid Hofferson was the finest soldier in the royal guard until something happened and she was kicked out, losing her job and her honour. Now she's got to get revenge on those who wronged her. But when a boy she used to know falls from the sky, she finds herself less alone than she thought herself to be. Together, can they right the wrongs and win back Astrid's honour?
1. Fell From The Sky

It starts with a scream. And then a splash.

The girl is plodding by while it happens. With one hand, she grips her sword so tightly that her knuckles turn white. With the other, she clutches onto a bag that's slung casually over her shoulder. She's lost in her thoughts, stewing over something that happened in the big city. If you were to walk alongside her, you would hear her muttering furiously under her breath, using incoherent sentences, things like 'not my fault' and 'so unfair'. She's not paying attention to her surroundings. If she was; she would notice the land gradually sloping down and ending, dirt meeting water as a lake began.

When she hears the scream, she tenses. Her bag slips from her shoulder. Suddenly alert, she brings her sword up and bends her knees, textbook battle position.

When she sees the boy, she drops the sword and runs towards him.

The lake is deeper than it looks. The boy's head bobs up and down on the surface, his arms waving frantically up and down in the air. The girl hurries down and thinks nothing of wading out into the water, but by the time she reaches the boy, she's full on swimming. She takes a gulp of air before ducking down into the water, wrapping her arms around the boy, pulling him back to shore. She lays him out on the bank of dirt before dropping to the floor herself and lying beside him, taking deep breaths in.

"Thanks," the boy mumbles.

"Anytime."

She takes a moment to make sure her breathing is back to normal before assessing her surroundings. The lake is a lot bigger than she initially realized, a huge great circular mass of glittering blue water. Trees surround the edge, thick branches extending far above the water.

She shifts and turns over to look at the boy. There's something familiar about him. He's skinny and dressed in green cloth, a mop of reddish-brown hair covering his eyes. It takes her a few seconds, but after she's thought about it for a while, recognition dawns on her face.

"Hiccup?!"she says, her eyes widening as she looks upon a boy that she has not seen for years.

Hiccup's eyes snap open and he sits up sharply, something almost panicked in his actions. When he looks up at her, a similar look of familiarity settles on his face.

"Astrid?" he says, still breathing heavily.

"Yeah," she nods, reaching out to pull him up onto his feet. "C'mon. You're going to freeze. We gotta get a fire going."

She helps him climb back up the bank and back towards the path. On the way, she hoists her bag back onto her shoulder and picks up her sword, choosing to sheath it instead of holding it out like before. She offers an arm out to him to support him while they find a place to start a fire, but he shakes his head, able to walk fine himself.

"So what happened?" Astrid asks while they walk. "Did you just fall out of a tree or something?"

"Something like that."

* * *

"Thought you were supposed to have gone and join the royal guard up in the big city," Hiccup says. "That's where they said you went when you disappeared five years ago."

It's dark. They had walked for a short while before finding a shady patch of trees and a fallen log almost begging to be a seat. The fire flickers; sparks of light swirling into the air. Astrid follows them up with her eyes.

"Yeah," she says. "Things just… things just didn't work out."

She can feel Hiccup looking at her, expecting an explanation, but she doesn't deign to give him one. Instead she busies herself with taking her hair out of her braid and squeezing out, letting her damp hair rest loose on her shoulders. She stretches her legs out, warming her feet out by the fire. She's abandoned her boots, leaving them out by the side of the log, along with her bag and sword. Resting in the fire are two long sticks with the meat of a squirrel attached to each of them. Hiccup had grimaced at that, but Astrid had sternly reminded him that there would be nothing else for him to eat. Hiccup had frowned but made no actual complaint.

Astrid takes a bite of her squirrel, looking over at him while she chews. "So what are you doing here?" she asks, after swallowing. "We're miles and miles away from Berk."

Hiccup shrugs. "Things changed."

Astrid gives a small nod, accepting Hiccup's non-answer. After all, she had been just as cryptic about her actions.

The two sit there for a while, neither of them speaking while they finish their meal.

"Where are you heading?" Hiccup asks, breaking the silence.

Astrid gives a sigh, her tongue swirling across her lips before she answers. "I'm going to my grandparents' house. They died last year and left it to my mother and father, so it should be empty. There's… there's something I need to do there."

Hiccup looks confused at that, but he stays silent, keeping his questions to himself. Astrid appreciates that. The conversation fizzles out completely; she's run out of things she wants to say to Hiccup. Their only connection is their childhood – and Astrid doesn't want to talk about her childhood. It had been so long ago that the two had been residents of the tiny village of Berk. When she thinks about her time there, it doesn't even seem real; more like a dream than a distant memory.

She shifts around and settles on the log, resting her head in her hands. Behind her, she can feel Hiccup staring at her, almost as if his gaze is burning into her. For some reason, it bothers her, and she pointedly stands up and moves away from him, going to find a sleeping spot somewhere else.

Astrid is the first to wake, and when she sees Hiccup sleeping beside her, she scowls.

* * *

"Look, it was nice catching up with you and all, but I really have to go it alone now," Astrid yells, not looking back at the boy behind her.

She's stormed far off into the distance, her sword out of its sheath and in her hand. Hiccup struggles to catch up with her, his small legs not used to the pace Astrid is keeping. He has to run to catch up with her.

"There's something going on, Astrid," Hiccup pants, trying to get his breath back. "Isn't there? Something happened to you back in the city."

"Nice deduction," Astrid snaps. "Will you leave me alone now?"

In her head, she likens him to a mosquito, always buzzing around and being a nuisance. Since waking up that morning, he'd done nothing but stare at her. Even worse, when she'd got up to leave and made her goodbyes, he'd started following her, talking about how he wanted to go with her.

"Look, Astrid, if something bad has happened then you don't have to do it on your own. I could come with you. I could help-"

"I don't need your help," she says, through gritted teeth. "There's something I have to do, and I need to do it on my own."

Hiccup seems stymied by that, but it only lasts for a short while before he's bugging her again.

"I can help," he says again. "I can look after the house, I can find us food, you won't even notice-"

Astrid's patience wears thin, and she turns around sharply. Hiccup almost bumps into her.

"Do you not have somewhere else to be?" she says, unable to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "Why are you making such a big deal about coming with me? I've told you, there are things I need to do, and I don't. Need. Company."

Astrid is practically spitting her words out by the end of her little speech, and Hiccup puts his hands in the air in surrender.

"_Okay_, okay," he says. "I don't actually have anywhere else to go or anywhere to stay. I thought maybe-"

"You thought wrong."

To her irritation, he doesn't stop following her. After turning around and yelling at him a few times, she gives up. _He can do what he wants_, she thinks_. Eventually he's going to give up_.

He's still following her when she arrives at her grandparents' house, and when she reaches the door, she makes a point of slamming it in his face.

* * *

In the morning, Astrid finds him curled up outside the door, fast asleep.

She gives a long sigh, raising her hands to the heavens before letting them hang loose at her sides. "I'm not going to win with this one, am I?" she mumbles to no one in particular.

Astrid takes a delicate step over him, making sure not to wake him up. She makes her way to the well, taking a bucket from the side and filling it to the brim with water. With something of a smile on her face, she tips the entire contents over Hiccup's head. He wakes with a start, shaking his head from side to side, water flying everywhere. _Like a dog_, Astrid thinks to herself.

"Here's the deal," Astrid says, standing close to the boy. She seems to tower above him when he looks up at her. "You can stay. There's a bed you can use. _If _you find food for the pair of us and keep the garden in shape and look after the house."

Hiccup's smile is wide and he nods eagerly, standing up almost too quickly, knocking over the bucket in his haste. Astrid sighs and mutters "Don't make me regret this," before turning around and heading to the stables.

The stables are empty; any horses that may have been there had been sold after the death of her grandparents. The place is a large and spacious, and Astrid figures that it is as good a place as any to train. She pulls up a stool and sits, resting her sword on the floor while she pulls out a stone from her bag, taking it to the edge of the sword and swiping across it, sharpening the blade. She keeps this up for a long time, getting lost in her work. After a while, she feels Hiccup's gaze on her from the entrance to the stables.

"What?" she grunts, stopping her work but not looking up.

"I wasn't lying when I said that I thought you needed company," Hiccup says. "I mean, it's true that I don't have anywhere else to go, but I _know_ that something happened to you in the city, and I just… I just didn't think that you should be alone with whatever you're doing now."

Astrid sighs, dropping the sword. The clatter rings out through the stables, and Hiccup winces.

"Sorry," he mumbles. "I'll go."

"You're right," she says.

Hiccup, who was making his way to leave, stills. Astrid looks up at him finally, and sees the boy clutching at a broom. She frowns, and almost feels bad for making him work for her like a servant.

"Something did happen," she says.

Hiccup says nothing and doesn't move. _This is what they mean by a 'listening face'_, Astrid thinks.

She stands up slowly, bending down to pick up her sword. Her fingers curl around the hilt and she brings it upward, her finger gliding gently across the blade. It cuts her skin, and thick red blood begins to ooze from her finger. She wipes it on her trousers. Then, all at once she lets out an almighty yell, twisting her wrist and slamming the blade into one of the supports that held up the stable roof. She yanks the sword away, leaving a large dent in the wood.

Hiccup takes a step back, his eyes wide. He's holding the broom out across him, as if it will somehow protect him. He still says nothing.

Astrid closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in and out, before opening them again and looking straight at Hiccup.

"I have to get my revenge."


	2. The Disgraced Soldier

The house is a nice one, Hiccup thinks. It's big and well furnished; housing everything the pair of them need to live comfortably. As far as he can tell, it's in the middle of nowhere, with no civilisation for miles. The area is surrounded by trees, and even in the hot sunlight the garden remains shaded and cool. Round the back of the house is a large pond, lilypads floating happily on top.

Astrid catches him looking at it and can't resist a quip. "Don't fall in," she tells him, her lips curled into a smirk.

"Ha, ha," Hiccup says, dryly.

It's a peaceful place, Hiccup decides. He likes it there. There's no one but them around and he enjoys the solitude, even if it is disturbed by Astrid's constant yelling. After the first day here, when he caught her throwing that sword around, he decided to give her some space. He tends to the garden and the farm, sowing seeds and watering plants, all while tuning her out. Sometimes he can't. There's something painful in her shouting, something angry.

He wants dearly to ask her what happened. He's wanted to ask that since she pulled him out of the lake, but he of all people understands her need for privacy.

The two of them sort of ignore each other. Or at least, she ignores him. After the first few days Hiccup abandons his attempts to make conversation, knowing that he will only receive grunts or monosyllabic answers from Astrid. Sometimes he watches her train, lingering at the front of the stable and pretending to clean while she shouts and throws her sword about. They eat meals together – but those are usually silent affairs, any comments that Hiccup makes met with shrugs or sighs.

All in all, Hiccup doesn't mind his new life here. He has food and a place to sleep – which is more than what he had in the week before he fell in the lake. He just wishes he knew what was going on with Astrid.

* * *

The boy irritates her. She hates the way he just sort of looms; hanging around while she's trying to concentrate on her fighting moves. Most of the time, she doesn't bother to give him the time of day, hoping that he'll get the hint that she doesn't want to talk. Sometimes he gets on her last nerve, and her motions get even more vicious, the blade of her sword slashing into the wood without mercy. He'll then begin to get the point, or she's scared him off; either way it works to get him to just _go away_.

She gets frustrated. Can't he understand that she just doesn't want anyone else around her right now? She's already told him that enough times already. Sometimes she regrets saying that he can stay. Sometimes she considers telling him to leave, but she has the distinct feeling that he wouldn't go. The boy is as stubborn as she is, for goodness sake.

Two weeks pass before Astrid finally snaps. She's training in the stables as usual and she can just _feel _Hiccup hanging around behind her. She had not slept the night before and had woken up in a bad mood, and throwing her sword around was doing nothing to dissipate her anger. And now this boy was here again. She can feel the frustration creeping up her skin and her fingers curl harder around the hilt of her sword. She takes another swing at the wood, before whipping around and standing in front of Hiccup, her blade pointed towards his nose.

"What are you doing in here?" she hisses, her teeth clenched together, her eyes wild and angry.

"I…er…" Hiccup falters, his gaze fixed on the sword that was centimetres away from him.

"We were never friends," Astrid says. "We were barely acquaintances. We hardly knew each other. Why are you so insistent to hang around me now? Can't you understand that I just really want to be by myself right now?!"

Hiccup doesn't answer, still staring at the sword point, his eyes flickering up from the blade to Astrid and then back at the blade again. In that moment, a part of Astrid really wants to thrust the sword forward and inflict some damage. A part of her really wants to hurt this boy in front of her.

Hiccup seems to know this. His eyes wide and his hands are shaking. Even from where she stands, Astrid can see that he's breathing heavily, his heart clearly beating hard. Yet he doesn't move. He doesn't say anything.

Astrid sighs, a long deep sigh, and drops the sword. She can't hurt this boy. Not this skinny, freckle covered boy, who won't make any move to save himself. She closes her eyes and sighs again, wiping her hair out of her face and stumbling back to sit down on the stool at the back of the stable. Hiccup's still watching her.

"Sorry," she says.

Her elbows rest on her knees and she covers her face with her hands. Hiccup takes a couple of steps forward towards her, kneeling down in front of her.

"Astrid…?" he says, warily.

There is silence for a while. Astrid doesn't speak. She just breathes in and out into her hands. Hiccup reaches out and places a hand on her shoulder.

"His name was Drago."

"Huh?" Hiccup says.

"Drago," Astrid says. She swallows, before shifting her head up to look at Hiccup. "I was on lookout duty for the night. I wasn't the only one, but the others had other things to attend to, and I said that they could leave it to me."

Hiccup shifts right down so that he's sitting in front of her. His hand leaves her shoulder and his harms curl around his knees, looking up at her intently_. Listening face_, Astrid thinks.

"There was a man, and he strode up to the gates. He was big and wearing some kind of armour. He said his name was Drago. I told him that no strangers were allowed into the castle. He asked me how I thought I was going to stop him. I should have called for backup. It would have been easy. The bell was right there, by my hands, all I had to do was reach out and ring it, and the other soldiers would have come," she says.

When she breathes in her breath is shaky, like she's fighting every emotional impulse. She swallows once more, before beginning to speak again.

"I didn't sound the alarm. I told him that I could take him, so we fought right out there in front of the guardhouse. And I fought really hard, but I just couldn't beat him. He tossed me aside right there in the grass and I was winded and bleeding from all the punches and he just didn't seem to be hurt at all. He marched straight into the castle and inside he blew a horn that had been around his waist. Suddenly the air was filled with dragons, _armoured_ dragons, and they set buildings alight and they were roaring so loudly. When I got in there, the place was a wreck. The houses in the lower town were in flames and people were being killed. Including…" her voice falters and shakes for a minute, and she can't seem to get the words out.

She gives another sigh before speaking again. "Including my parents. I couldn't do anything about it. By the time the soldiers finally came from the castle, so much damage had already been done. Drago gave the order for the dragons to stop and he called out to everyone in the square and told them to beware, because this was only the tip of the iceberg, and we'd be heading for so much worse if we didn't submit to his will. Then he hopped onto one of the dragons and they flew away, leaving us with the destruction he had left."

Her head is bowed. Her eyes are fixed on her hands in her lap, and even though Hiccup's hand has found its way to her knee, a comforting gesture, she doesn't dare look at him.

"I was kicked out of the royal guard, because I didn't sound the alarm or call for help. If I had called for help, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. Maybe we could have stopped some of it, but I didn't call and now my parents and all those other people are dead," she says.

There's a lump in her throat, and no amount of swallowing will get it to go away. "I went from being one of the most revered soliders to being the most shamed. I had nowhere to go, my parents were dead, so I just… left. Started walking. Didn't really know where I was going. Then I remembered this place. And I knew that I had to come here, I had to come here and train and become the best fighter that there is," as she finishes her sentence, her voice turns hard and cold. "I have to do it. I have to kill Drago. I have to kill him because he killed my parents. I have to get my honour back."

Her speech is done. There is silence once more in the stable. She grips hard on the edge of the stool, her eyes squeezed shut as she forces herself to remain her stoic self and not reveal any of her emotion, but Hiccup has seen it. Hiccup can tell.

He moves his hands forward and links his fingers with hers, kneeling up so that they are looking right at each other.

"You know this isn't your fault, Astrid?" he says, speaking for the first time since she had begun her tale.

"It is," she says. "If I had just-"

"No," Hiccup says, cutting her off.

Astrid looks up, surprised at the force in Hiccup's voice.

"This isn't your fault, Astrid. Whether you had sounded the alarm or not, he would still have got into the castle. What happened would still have happened."

"But-"

Hiccup interrupts her again. "You didn't cause this. You weren't the one killing people. The blame lies with Drago, not with you."

He's looking right into his eyes and his gaze doesn't move. Astrid considers his words, looking straight back at him. Her eyes turn cold and stony once more.

"And that's why I've got to fight him. I've got to prove myself. I've got to do it for the people that he killed."

Her voice is sharp. Determined.

Hiccup stares at her face, seeing no hint of any hesitation. He can see the strength of her resolve in her eyes and he knows that this is her decision. This is what she wants.

So with equal determination, Hiccup nods.

"And I will help you."


	3. Training

"It's the dragons," Astrid says.

It's been another two weeks, and the two have settled into an easy rhythm. With Hiccup's help, Astrid's training becomes steadily smoother. Unlike before, she can feel herself getting better; she knows that her muscles are stronger and her technique is more refined. Also, she doesn't find the boy as annoying anymore. Now that she's told him what happened to her, he doesn't lurk around her anymore. He comes out, offering her help, solutions to her problems, fixing things for her. Somehow she begins to almost enjoy his company and she's only just realised how hard it was, trying to train herself up on her own.

Hiccup has made her a makeshift punch bag by rolling up a huge piece of cloth, tying a rope around it and slinging the rope over the rafters in the roof. Astrid has gone back to basics; moving from waving her sword around to punching the bag over and over again. Hiccup had made sure to wrap a slip of leather around her knuckles. He had insisted despite her protests, and even she had to admit that it had been a good idea.

Hiccup stands behind the punch bag and holds it still. He flinches every time Astrid's fist connects with the cloth, but he makes no complaint, not even when she punches too hard and he topples back under the weight of the material.

"They're too dangerous," she grunts, throwing another punch. "Dragons and humans don't mix."

She thrusts her arm forward again, but this time she moves more sluggishly, making little impact. She's breathing heavily, red in the face.

"Maybe it's time for a break," Hiccup suggests.

Astrid brushes off his comment. "I have to keep going."

Hiccup moves out from behind the punch bag, moving over to Astrid and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Astrid. Time for a break." His voice is soft but firm.

She wonders about ignoring him and throwing another punch, but she knows he's right and she's tired. So she nods, and drops to the floor, leaning against one of the stable walls. Hiccup has scurried off and now hurries back with a cup of water that he had filled up from the well. Astrid watches him and feels a little guilty. There's something about the way that he's always there, always anticipating what she needs and scampering off to get it for her before she's even asked. It reminds her of the princes and princesses that would pass through the castle, and the way the servants would follow them around and do everything for them. It makes her a little uncomfortable.

She accepts the cup gratefully, before looking him up and down.

"You don't have to do this, y'know," Astrid says as she gulps down the water.

"Do what?"

"Wait on me. Do everything for me. Have everything ready for me," she says.

Hiccup's face breaks into a smile. "I don't mind doing stuff for you, Astrid. I said I was going to help you, right?"

She nods. "I suppose. I just – I just don't… You're acting like my staff or something. I feel like I should be paying you."

Hiccup lets out a laugh, and somehow Astrid's unease seems to lift. There's something about the way his eyes open wide and he covers his mouth with his hand, letting out a light little sound.

"I like doing things for you. You don't need to pay me."

Astrid chews on her lip for a bit before her eyes flicker back up towards him again. "Seriously though, Hiccup. I can do things for myself. I'm sure there are things that you need to do. I guess – I guess I was wrong when I said that you had to work to live here."

Somehow she feels a little awkward. She feels as if there's something on the tip of her tongue that she wants to say to Hiccup, some words that she's not quite sure of. She's always been good at speaking her mind, but now that she wants to say something about how she feels, she's tongue tied. A part of her is urging her to say something nasty to the boy, to make some catty comment and distance herself from him. She forces herself to be quiet and she pretends to be very interested in her cup, still gulping down the water.

Hiccup looks at her for a moment before turning back and shuffling over to the stable door. Just as he's about to leave, he turns back to look at her.

"Just so you know," he says. "I'm not doing any of this because I feel like I have to. I like you, Astrid. You're my friend."

Astrid's head jolts up as he says that and she looks at him through narrowed eyes, searching for anything in him that would suggest that he was being sarcastic. But all she finds is Hiccup staring straight back at her, calm and still. She thinks for a moment, and then knows what she wants to say.

"I like you too."

Hiccup turns to leave, the smile on his face wider than ever.

"You're still annoying though!" Astrid calls after him, but there's a laugh in her voice and Hiccup can tell she's teasing.

His smile doesn't leave him for the rest of the day.

* * *

Over the next few days, it becomes clear that Hiccup's taken Astrid's words to heart. He still helps her train, of course, but he's not by her side every single second of the day. Astrid appreciates this. As much as she enjoys spending time around her new found friend, she has always enjoyed her time alone. She spends the time she has to herself reading the books she had found in her grandparent's old house. They're actually quite useful; she finds a manual on different sword techniques, some that she had never been taught.

She's sitting by the pond reading that book when Hiccup appears from the trees, holding a tabby cat in his arms.

"Look what I found!" he says, his eyes shining and his hair in a mess.

Astrid gives a small smile, closing her book and standing up, reaching out a hand to stroke the cat.

"Can we keep her?" Hiccup says, holding up the cat and making puppy dog eyes at her.

Astrid shrugs. "We don't really need a cat," she mumbles.

But when she sees Hiccup's face, she changes her tune.

"So, what do you want to call her?"

The cat _is_ cute after all.

They have a training session scheduled in the afternoon, but both of them forget about it, too busy playing with the cat. Although it likes both of them – it played quite happily with the pair of them – it seems mostly taken with Hiccup. As afternoon turns to evening, it snuggles up onto Hiccup's lap, purring softly.

When Astrid realises that they were supposed to be training, she sits up suddenly, her mouth opening so that she can say something; panic about how they're going off schedule, shout at Hiccup for letting her relax… but then she stops. Hiccup is fast asleep, his head lolling back against the wall of the house. The cat is asleep too, and both cat and boy breathe steadily in sync. Astrid settles back down and closes her mouth.

She can stand letting herself relax for one day. Or so she thinks.

* * *

The day after, Hiccup notices that she's throwing herself into their training sessions more vigorously. Although neither of them had said anything about their lapse the day before, both of them are working extra hard to make up for it.

Astrid's back to using her sword, and it clatters against the pillars of the stables. She grits her teeth, the blade flying back and forth. The cat sensibly keeps her distance.

Hiccup knows something is wrong when he hears the yelling. Since Hiccup had begun to help her train, her yelling had gradually stopped. She no longer felt the need to scream when she made sword blows, choosing instead to be silent and making calmer and more calculated attacks. The anger is back.

"Astrid?" he says, hovering in front of the stable door. "Woah, woah, Astrid!"

He hurries forward and grabs hold of her arm, holding it still. She wrenches her arm away from him and slams the sword back into the wood. She doesn't acknowledge him; she just keeps yelling and slashing the stable pillar with her blade. He stands behind her and grabs hold of both of her wrists, holding on tight and refusing to let go.

"Astrid, stop!" he yells.

She quietens. Her limbs go limp.

When he's sure that she won't start thrashing around again, Hiccup lets go and pulls her back over to the stool at the back of the room.

"What's going on?" he says, his voice gentle.

Astrid's teeth are clenched together as she speaks. "We got too relaxed. We didn't do anything yesterday. We forgot about training."

"Yeah, but you've got to relax sometimes."

Astrid frowns, her fingers gripping onto the edge of the stool. Hiccup's seen this before.

"I don't have time to rest. I can't think about anything but Drago. I've been allowing myself to get distracted and it's going to be my downfall. My parents _died_, Hiccup, and I've been sitting here resting."

Hiccup sighs. Now he gets it.

He shifts down onto his knees, facing her so that they are on the same level. His hand snakes forward and he interlocks his fingers with hers. Her eyes open and they flicker up at Hiccup, slightly shocked at the sudden contact between them.

"Astrid, I promise you that whatever happens, you taking a break every now and then will not shame your parents. You're allowed to rest. If you train too hard, you're going to burn out and you'll never be able to get Drago," Hiccup says, his other hand moving up to Astrid's so that he's holding both. "Don't think about him. Think about you. Focus on making yourself the best you can. And you're not going to do that by not allowing yourself to rest every once in a while."

Astrid is still staring at him. For a moment, Hiccup thinks that she is going to lash out at him and start shouting. But she doesn't. A long time seems to pass and then Astrid nods.

"Okay."

Hiccup smiles. "So, I'm going to put the punch bag back up and we'll do that for about an hour or so before taking a break, okay?"

He's already darting out the stable door, without even waiting for an answer. Astrid watches him go, vaguely stunned.

And then she smiles.

"Okay."


	4. A Familiar Face

"Astrid, we're getting a horse," Hiccup says with finality, dumping his bag down in front of her.

The sun has been inching its way above the crest of the hill far off in the distance and the land is bathed in a quiet morning glow, everything somehow a faded blue. Astrid has been sitting on the front steps of the house for quite some time, holding a cup of water in her hand.

It has become routine for Astrid to wake early and watch the sunrise. She enjoys the few quiet moments of peace before the day starts. Back in the city, she would wake up just as early and have no break in activities until she put her head on the pillow for sleep. Being here, in this little corner of the world that she's found herself in, is a welcome respite from the constant exhaustion and aching limbs that was the hectic daily life of the royal guard.

Sometimes, if only for a few minutes, she wonders if she wouldn't rather be here, with Hiccup, in her grandparent's old house, living off the land and pretending that the world outside their little corner doesn't exist.

But only for a few minutes. Then she just finds her sword and starts hitting things.

"Good morning to you too," she says, an eyebrow cocked in amusement.

"I'm serious. If you're going to beat Drago, we're going to have to travel. And we can't always do that by walking. It would be quicker if we had a horse; not to mention safer if we'd need to get a quick getaway."

"Then I suppose we're getting a horse," she says, taking a sip of her water.

She thinks about the word 'we' a lot. Sometimes she tries to work out the last time that she had to factor a 'we' into her choices, and realises that the answer is never. For years and years everything she has done has been for herself and no one else; she's never had to think about other people and what they might want.

She idly wonders when she started factoring Hiccup into all of her decisions.

A few minutes later she realises that she's let herself run away with her thoughts and that Hiccup is looking at her expectantly for a reply to a question she didn't hear.

"Sorry?" she says, snapping out of her reverie.

Hiccup gives a small smile. "You're miles away, Astrid. I was just asking - do you know where we can get a horse?"

"Oh. The nearest village to here has a stable, they sell horses there, I think," she replies. "Long way to walk though."

"I think we can manage."

Astrid stands up, tossing the last of the water away into the grass, and setting the cup down onto the step. She stretches, her arms reaching high up into the air, her back giving a satisfying click as she rotates them back down to her sides.

"Guess we better get going then," she says.

* * *

The two chat amiably as they walk, and once again Astrid finds herself getting lost in her thoughts. It's been a long time since she's had a friend that she can be that comfortable around. Sure, she had plenty of close friends in the guard, but she couldn't really _talk_ to any of them. It was difficult - with all the training and assignments they had to do, there wasn't much time to get any of them alone.

There had been one or two that Astrid had opened up to and shared her thoughts with - but no one like Hiccup.

As they walk, Astrid finds herself getting curious about the boy that she's grown so accustomed to. Sometimes, she feels a little like there has been this big elephant in the room since the two of them had met, something neither of them have talked about. Hiccup had a life back on Berk, the small village where they both grew up. He was the son of a chief - soon to take up the job himself, alongside his work in the forge.

So why had she found him miles away from there, drowning in a lake?

It's a question that she's had on her mind for a while, but there never seemed to be a right time to ask it. Now that they have all this time to kill while they walk, Astrid finds that very question springing itself up onto her lips, but she pushes it back down. There is something of an unspoken agreement between her and Hiccup, she thinks, and that is that they don't pry into each other's personal pasts. Astrid often regrets talking so much about Drago and the guard. She's let herself spill her secrets and her fears without hesitation, and it makes her feel weak. No, she thinks. Why should they talk anymore about their personal stuff? So, with that in mind, she doesn't ask, for fear of scaring Hiccup off.

Curiosity, after all, killed the cat.

But still, her mind wanders to Berk, and she thinks about her childhood, those days she spent running around with the older kids, learning to be tough and putting out fires after dragon attacks.

Dragons.

"I'm surprised we haven't had any dragon attacks recently," she comments, after they've both been silent after a while. "Remember? On Berk we used to have them every other day."

Hiccup frowns and shrugs. "Closer to the sea back there, I guess."

"I almost miss it - the dragon attacks. Y'know, the adrenaline. And the excitement when someone brought a dragon down."

"How far is it to this village?" Hiccup says.

Astrid glances at him and frowns. "About another hour or so."

She stops talking, and the two of them go back to that comfortable silence, but Astrid notices. She saw the way he had cut her off as if he had not even heard her. She decides to drop it for now, but something is _off_ with Hiccup. Something she said, maybe? Astrid bites her lip, but says nothing more.

* * *

The village is a pleasant one. The last time Astrid was here, she had been very small, and yet there are so many things that she remembers. The sights and smells and sounds waft back to her in the most pleasing familiarity, and somehow she finds the tension she didn't know she had been keeping leaking from her shoulders, and she feels altogether more relaxed. A quick glance at Hiccup tells her he's feeling the same effects, even without the same familiarity. Something about this place breathes tranquillity.

The place is colourful, all different kinds of flowers popping up all over the place, their heads faced towards the sun, their bright petals opened outwards. It's not just the nature though, Astrid thinks. It's the people too. As they enter the village, strangers as they may be, they are greeted with wide smiles and waves. They enter the hustle and bustle of the market, and Astrid jumps as she feels Hiccup curl his fingers around hers. She relaxes quickly, and smiles at his childish excitement, as he pulls her over to different stalls. Partly she's relieved that whatever was bothering Hiccup earlier doesn't seem to be bothering him anymore.

She realises it's been a while since they have been around any company that wasn't each other. She lets him go off and look at whatever he wants, while she moves off down a different alleyway, looking at all the food she could buy.

"Astrid Hofferson!"

Astrid tenses a little. It had been a long time since anyone had shouted her name like that. She turns, part of her dreading to hear who the call had come from. But as she turns, all she can register is a small blur of blonde throwing themselves towards her, and arms being thrown around her neck and all at once she knows who it is.

"Camicazi?!"

The girl releases Astrid from the tight hug and takes a few paces back, pulling the explosion of blonde hair out of her face to reveal a wide grin. "You know it," she says. "Always hoped I'd see you again, Hofferson. What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing," Astrid says, smiling.

But her smile soon fades as she sees Camicazi's reaction in the form of a frown, her eyes cast downwards. Immediately, discomfort begins to rise in Astrid's stomach. Something was up.

It's only for a few seconds though, before Camicazi's face changes again at the sight of who is approaching Astrid from behind.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," she says, the grin back on her face and laughter in her voice. "Boy, I'm running into everyone today."

She darts forward and pulls Hiccup into a hug, who's also smiling widely. "Camicazi," he says, the delight in his voice evident.

Astrid looks between the two of them, her eyes wide in surprise. "You two know each other?!"

"'Course we do," Camicazi says, as she moves out of the hug. "You know - both children of chiefs. I've known Hiccup for years. He was the only entertaining thing about all those big meetings with all the leaders we had to attend."

Hiccup looks up and down at Camicazi's royal guard uniform, putting two and two together about how the two girls knew each other. "Never pegged you for the type who took orders," he says. "Weren't you supposed to be inheriting your mother's chiefdom?"

Camicazi sighs. "Duty called. Didn't really have a choice."

Astrid processes the new information about these two people in her life. She had never given any thought to the idea that maybe her friends from the guard knew anyone from back in Berk.

_It's a small world_, she thinks to herself.

"You were talking about why you were here?" she adds when there's a lull in the conversation.

Camicazi frowns. "Yeah. Astrid, I think maybe we need to sit down for this."

* * *

They find their way to an inn and the three of them are herded into seats in the corner, pints of ale pressed into their hands.

Camicazi toys with hers, taking a few sips, before sighing and resting herself in her seat. "Astrid, back in the kingdom... things aren't - well, things aren't good."

Astrid leans forward in her seat, her hands gripping the sides of her glass. "What's going on?"

"Well... after Drago and his dragons came, there was chaos. The entire town was panicking. The townspeople were on the verge of rioting. We couldn't stop it, partly because a lot of people in the guard were panicking as well. Not me, of course, I was all out there ready to fight this guy, just like you were, but a lot of people think that we've met our match. Y'know, this is it, we're going to be taken over, life will never be the same, that type deal," Camicazi says before taking a big swig of ale.

"So, the King put the whole castle on lockdown. Nobody but official members of the guard goes in, or out. The gates are locked, barricades are up. All three outer walls are completely closed, no one in, no one out. They sent half of us soldiers out into villages all over the kingdom to protect them. With all the use that will do if Drago decides to show up."

Camicazi shifts back into her seat, draining the last of the ale. When she speaks again, her tone has changed significantly.

"But I don't care. Bring me Drago. Bring me his dragons. I'll show him. He's no match for Ze Great Camicazi."

Astrid frowns, and when she glances over at Hiccup she sees the same anxious look plastering his face.

Camicazi was brash and boisterous at the best of times, but the moment she put on her bravado and her suicidal tendencies came out – that was a problem.

Astrid takes in the bags under Camicazi's eyes, the way she's slumping into her chair, and the fact that every now and then when the focus isn't on her the light seems leave her eyes, and Astrid wonders if she has even come close to uncovering the tip of the iceberg of the problem they were facing. Something inside her tells her that everything is about to come crashing down and this little world she has been enjoying is about to shatter.


	5. Similar In A Lot of Ways

"It's bullshit that you got kicked out," Camicazi says, stuffing her hands into her pockets while a frown spreads across her face. "Everyone thinks so, Astrid."

Hiccup blinks at the curse. Despite the fact that he has known Camicazi for years, her swearing has always startled him a little. Even the biggest, toughest members of the Berk village rarely swore, and he was never quite used to hearing those kind of words. Camicazi slings them around all the time without a second thought. He glances over at Astrid, but she had no reaction to the word. Clearly her time in the guard had changed her.

He also notices her tense a little at the subject of her expulsion from the guard. He watches her fingers fall slowly down and grip her sword hilt, defensively, as if she is preparing to march into battle, even though she's walking through a quiet village in the middle of nowhere. Hiccup steps forward, his hand floating up to her arm, his fingers gently brushing against her skin. She starts a little at the touch, but her eyes flutter down to look at him and her fingers leave the sword, falling down by her side, slightly more relaxed.

"They do?" Astrid says, and Hiccup knows that she's only asking because she didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah. They do. Hellfire, Astrid, no one thinks that it was your fault that Drago decided to pick our city as the one he was going to storm," Camicazi says, her eyes fixed on Astrid, almost on fire in their passion.

Astrid keeps moving forward, but stops when Camicazi reaches out a hand and pulls her back to a standstill, turning around so that they face each other.

"Seriously, Astrid, I need you listen to me."

"Look, I know you're trying to help, but I don't really want to talk about this right now," Astrid mumbles, trying to turn away.

Camicazi holds a firm grasp on Astrid and keeps her still. "No. I need you to listen to me for just a minute. I need you to know that what happened would have happened no matter what you did, and nothing, and I mean _nothing_ that happened is your fault. Okay?"

Astrid wants to protest, but Camicazi holds her still, her eyes locked into the other girl's, and Astrid knows, she knows, that this is one of those rare times that the other girl being serious, and when Camicazi is being serious, you have really got to listen. So, she does nothing but nod slowly, and Camicazi loosens her grip on her.

Hiccup watches all of this, in wonder. Since he discovered that Camicazi and Astrid both knew each other - and knew each other pretty well, it seems - he had been finding himself getting so lost in these weird thought processes. He knows Astrid fairly well and he probably knows Camicazi as well as the back of his hand, but seeing them together? Seeing them together told him that there were sides to these girls that he had never had any idea about.

He's never seen Camicazi so focused on anything before. Seeing her in a guard uniform was crazy; never in his wildest dreams could he imagine Camicazi stepping up and following orders to the letter. And yet here she was, with fire in her eyes and determination in her heart, which wasn't exactly like the girl he knew - the one that was cheeky to her mother and went around stealing things from council of village leaders.

And Astrid? The girl he knew to be so fiery, the girl who listened to no one but herself, listen to someone else.

Somehow, he is not surprised that the girls are friends. They are very similar in a lot of ways, he thinks.

* * *

The tone lightens as Camicazi leads them through the village. Hiccup can tell that she likes this place, he notes the way that her eyes have lit up, no longer a faded version of their normal dark hazel colour.

"C'mon," she says, "I'll show you around."

She pulls them through the crowds, and through the markets to the centre of the village, and the three of them circle their way around the square to look at market stalls.

It's a beautiful day, and something about it has brought a smile back to Camicazi's features, as she talks animatedly about the little village.

"That's Old Wrinkly," she says, pointing out a very wizened old man. "He's a soothsayer. Well, he likes to think he is. He's not very good."

The three of them glance over at the man, who is standing in the square, calling out at the crowd of people.

"Doom! Destruction!" he cries out. "This village will end in flame! In destruction! The dragons will come! They will take our children! We must leave!"

No one pays him any attention.

Astrid smiles a little. "I remember him."

"Everyone knows Gothi is the one you go to for that stuff," Camicazi says, gesturing vaguely off at one of the village houses, distinctly separate from the rest.

The trio continue wandering through the village streets, Camicazi introducing them to people. Despite their early conversation hanging over them, the three begin to relax somewhat, enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Hiccup buys a horse after careful deliberation, checking out each of the options. Astrid watches him, something of a smirk on her face.

"Just pick one," she says, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't matter which. Pick the cheapest, for all I care."

Hiccup frowns and wrinkles his nose. "It has to be the perfect one, Astrid."

"If you say so."

After a while – a long, _long_ while, Astrid thinks – Hiccup decides on the perfect horse. (Astrid privately thinks that it looks the same as all the other horses, but she doesn't tell him that).

He looks at up her with a goofy smile. "All we need to do now is name it."

There's something of a twinkle in Astrid's eye as she links her arm through his and pulls him and the horse away from the stables.

"You haven't even the named the cat yet."

* * *

As the sun begins to descend, it is time for Hiccup and Astrid to leave. Camicazi's grinning when she says goodbye, but both Hiccup and Astrid can tell that there is something more reserved in it than usual.

"You guys are gonna come back and visit, right?"

She's trying to pull it off casually, like it's no big deal, but Astrid can hear the question laced with worry.

She pulls Camicazi into a hug. "Of course we will."

Relief flashes across Camicazi's face for a second, but as soon as it's there, it's gone again, replaced by her signature smirk.

"See you around, Hofferson. You too, Haddock."

As they begin to ride off into the distance, Camicazi watches them go. She grins, and wonders when her two best friends are going to get a clue.

* * *

The ride back is quiet, Astrid taking the reins and concentrating on leading the horse home. Hiccup holds gently onto her waist, for fear of falling off. Astrid's teasing is definitely something he wants to avoid in that situation.

It is not until they have left the village behind that anyone speaks.

"I didn't know you knew Camicazi," Hiccup says.

Astrid shrugs. "I didn't know_ you_ knew her. It never came up."

There is silence again. It stays like that for a few moments, neither of them caring to speak. Then Hiccup tries again.

"Do you… Do you think she's alright?" he asks. "Camicazi, I mean."

Astrid sighs. "I don't know. I've never seen her like that. She's trying to cover it up but she's not doing a good job about it."

"I worry about her. Don't you?"

Astrid frowns. For some reason, this question irks her. It's like he thinks that she's not worried too. It's like he thinks that she doesn't care. It's like he doesn't realise how close she and Camicazi were. _Are_. She knows that's not how he meant it at all, she knows that he's not trying to get on her nerves, but the comment buries itself into her skin and she can't let it go in her head. She grips tighter to the reins and bites her tongue.

_Don't lash out for no reason, Astrid, _she tells herself.

"Of course I worry about her. Don't you dare act like I don't," she says, cursing herself for letting that much ice slip into her voice.

There's silence again. Hiccup's grip on her loosens and immediately Astrid feels bad. She didn't mean to snap.

"Sorry," she says, after a pause. "I didn't mean to snap."

"S'fine," Hiccup says, but something tells her that it's not fine at all.

The silence is awkward, so Astrid tries for casual conversation. "So, were you and Camicazi ever a thing? I mean, I know you hung out a lot."

Hiccup gives an exasperated sigh. "Astrid, _I'm_ the one who should be asking _you_ that question."

Okay, so not the right question to ask. "I know," she says. "I just know that Camicazi was interested in a lot of different people so I just thought that maybe-"

"Well, nothing happened between us, okay?"

It's all wrong.

This conversation is all wrong. It's like they're back at square one, nothing but awkward exchanges and irritated answers – only this time Astrid's on the receiving end. She feels a little guilty – is this what it was like for Hiccup way back when she fished him out of the lake?

They had moved past this. She and Hiccup hadn't fought for weeks, and the worst thing is that she doesn't know how to deal with it. She had gotten so used to being alone and her time in the royal guard wasn't much for socialising so she doesn't really know how to deal with other people. She wants to apologise again, but it feels awkward in her mouth, like if she were to say it, it wouldn't sound genuine.

She doesn't have to say it, because Hiccup speaks first.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I'm just tired. And talking to Camicazi – she just looks so _sad_. Something tells me that this whole thing is a lot worse than we thought it was."

The guilt hits Astrid in the stomach. Here was Hiccup – sweet, silly Hiccup who couldn't stay angry at her if he tried - apologising for doing nothing wrong. A part of her wants to apologise too, but instead she does what she always does – changes the subject.

"We have to be prepared. If Drago comes now, then we're finished. We have to be ready for him. We can't let this happen again, not in the village, there's no chance anyone will survive that," she says, her knuckles clenching around the reins again.

Hiccup's hold around her waist tightens, and when he speaks his voice is determined.

"We'll be ready."


	6. Conversations

"Fiddlesticks."

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

Astrid's eyes flicker up from where she is sharpening her sword. She perches on a stone beside the stables, her back rested up against the wooden wall. The sword rests upon her knees, a stone in her hand.

"We are NOT naming the cat _Fiddlesticks_," she says, her eyes sparkling.

Hiccup's hands rake through the cat's fur. "What's wrong with it?!"

Astrid bites back a grin and casts her eyes back down to her sword, running the small stone across the sharp metal edge.

"What's right with it?" she mutters.

Hiccup scoffs and goes back to stroking the cat, pouting as he mutters nonsensical protests under his breath.

Astrid hops off her rock and onto her feet, rolling her eyes at the boy in front of her. "Shut up and fight me, Haddock."

The cat mews as Hiccup lifts her off him and reaches for his sword.

In their numerous training sessions, they had discovered something that Astrid had not foreseen. Hiccup is good at sword fighting – and not only that, but he's a worthy opponent. A little rusty and untrained, perhaps, but then again, he's not had two years' worth of training in the royal guard. Astrid still finds herself impressed by it; she learns something new about Hiccup every day.

"My naming skills aren't that bad," he says, still pouting as he fights.

He really wonders how Astrid can laugh so hard while blocking all of his blows.

* * *

It's been a long day, as they all are. Astrid's muscles ache from activity and she sits on the porch, watching the sun slowly descend, bathing the land in golden light. She gives a small smile and lets herself relax a little bit. She's started to forgive herself a lot more for her little moments like these. It doesn't matter what's coming for her – she's allowed a few minutes of peace. Hiccup joins her, tucking his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

"It's nice, isn't it?" he comments, looking out in the same direction.

"Yeah. Almost makes me forget what's out there waiting for us," Astrid says.

"Hey," Hiccup says, his hand settling on Astrid's knee. "Whatever's waiting for us? You can handle it. I know you can."

Astrid smiles, resting her hand over Hiccup's. She doesn't notice the way he stares down at their hands, a blush creeping across his cheeks.

"Thanks," she blurts, after a long silence.

"For what?"

"For not leaving. Even when I told you to go. Even when I was rude to you. I just don't think I would have done very well without you," she says.

She cringes internally, cursing herself for not being able to articulate her feelings properly. She hates the automatic reaction she has to expressing any of her feelings; she feels small, her skin pricking and she instantly wants to brush it off - but she forces herself not to.

Hiccup's smile is from ear to ear and he moves closer as says "Anything for you, Astrid."

Astrid makes a gagging sound and pushes him away gently. "And that is enough sentiment today," she says.

Although she's turned her head away from him, Hiccup can see that she's smiling.

* * *

The next day is not so carefree. Astrid wakes in cold sweats, the roaring still ringing in her ears from the nightmare still etched across her eyelids. Her hands shake as she pulls herself out of bed and throughout the day her stomach is turning over and over with anxiety, her head drowning in a fog of thoughts that just won't sort themselves out. She fights every urge to run and hide, to go back up to her bedroom and hide under the covers for the day.

Her skin feels too tight; she feels too exposed and she wishes she could shrug it all off but she knows that no matter what she does the feeling won't go away. Hiccup, annoyingly observant Hiccup, notices of course.

"Are you okay?" he asks, after a half hour training session. "You look… off today."

She goes for the humour approach, snorting and saying "Thanks," all deadpan.

Hiccup coughs, his hand going to the back of his head. "I didn't mean – I mean you always look nice, you're beautiful, but I just thought-"

Astrid grins and raises an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm beautiful am I?" she says, amused.

He slaps a hand over his face, giving a small groan. "Just shut me up anytime."

Her smile widens and she feels the tension leaking away from her limbs. Without even trying, Hiccup has made her feel better.

"I'm only teasing you," she says, sparkle returning to her eyes.

She settles down on the floor, grabbing the cup of water she had left at the side and taking a sip. Hiccup follows suit, stretching his legs out across the ground. They sit there in silence for a minute, before Hiccup tries again.

"Seriously, Astrid. Are you sure you're okay?" he says.

Astrid sighs, flopping her head back onto the stable wall. The last thing she wants to do was talk about it, but this is Hiccup, and Hiccup is persistent when he thinks something is wrong.

"I'm not sleeping very well," she says, after a pause. "I keep having these nightmares."

Hiccup looks up at her, his green eyes filled with worry. A part of her wants to shove him away, pick up her sword and fight her feelings away – cover up her emotions with a thick layer of hardness and strength and create a barrier of steel-like armour to keep out the world, just like she's been doing for god knows how long. But somewhere along this journey she's taking, she's learned that suppressing her feelings isn't going to help solve anything. So she swallows the lump in her throat and shifts herself slightly so that she is facing Hiccup.

"It's about the dragons," she says. "It's silly because I fought dragons all the time back on Berk, and god knows we saw so many dragons in the city and managed to keep them back. But I've never seen anything like the ones Drago had. I see it all the time. The armour. The claws. The teeth. My parents…"

Astrid falters, her words simmering away and Hiccup slips his hand into hers, rubbing his thumb across her thumb, offering up comfort in the way she knew he would.

"You know none of that was your fault, right?" Hiccup says. "This is all Drago."

"I know. I know," she says. "But that doesn't mean I don't still see it all the time."

Hiccup shifts closer, resting his head on Astrid's shoulder. "I can't make it go away," he says. "But I can promise you that I am going to be here every step of the way until we defeat Drago and bring peace back to the city. I promise."

Astrid rests her head next to his. "Thanks, Hiccup," she says, so soft that Hiccup almost doesn't hear it.

For a while they sit, and Astrid mulls it all over in her head, but it doesn't take long for her old habits to take over, and her fingers grip at the grass, her knuckles turning white.

"I hate dragons," she says, all softness in her voice lost. "I hate them. If they didn't exist we wouldn't have any problems. All they do is hurt people. I hope every last one dies."

She's breathing heavily after she finishes her little speech, and she lets go of Hiccup's hand to press her hands over her face and gives a deep sigh.

"Sorry," she says, slowly calming herself down. "I didn't mean to yell."

Hiccup has been staring at the floor the whole time. "S'fine."

"Sorry," she repeats. "It's just, I know you don't like to talk about dragons. You go all quiet whenever I mention them."

He shrugs, his eyes flickering away from Astrid, right down at the floor.

"It's your mum, isn't it?"

Hiccup's eyes widen, his head jolting upwards. "W-what?!"

"That's why you don't like to talk about them, isn't it?" she says, staring intently at him.

"Oh. Yeah. That."

Hiccup's eyes fix on the floor. Silence falls once more.

"What happened to you, Hiccup? What happened back on Berk that made you come here?" she asks.

It's the question that's been nagging at her brain for a while now, the curiosity getting almost too much to bear.

Hiccup chews on his lip, his face stricken. In the end he just shrugs again and mumbles "Things just changed."

Astrid frowns. He's said that to her before.

"You know you can tell me if something happened back there, Hiccup?" she says, hoping she sounds supportive.

Hiccup looks at her and gives a small nod, before wordlessly shrugging his shoulders again. "One day, maybe," he says, after a pause.

Astrid presses her lips together, concerned. Something was going on with this boy, something that he wasn't willing to speak to her about. It hurt a little bit, somehow.

_He doesn't trust you_, a little voice in her head said.

No. She wasn't going to let that little insecurity get in the way. She knew Hiccup, and he was sweet and kind and he'd helped her in all kind of ways, and if he had a secret then he would tell her when he was ready. She kept that thought firm in her mind and pushed all others away.

The cat mews from the door of the stables, somehow sensing the unease between her two owners, slinking in beside them. She purrs as she settles herself across the two of them. The tension leaks from Hiccup's face as he gives a smile and strokes the cat between the ears.

Astrid grins. "We're still not naming her Fiddlesticks."

The shove that Hiccup gives her lets her know that they're both okay.

* * *

Hiccup bends his head, his forehead almost touching his knees. After Astrid had gone up to bed, he'd wondered out into the woods alone, resting himself on a log. He'd been sitting there for a while, his hands raking through his hair. Guilt was throbbing through him; it felt like it was coursing through his veins, one thought blaring through his head.

_I should have told her. I should have told her. I should have told her. _

Hiccup had liked Astrid for a long time. Even when they were back on Berk he had always admired her. There was something about the way she had flung herself into everything, fierce and fearless. She was a hurricane, wild and unstoppable.

And then she'd fished him out of the lake, taken him to her home and he'd seen a whole other side her. He'd seen the side that was softer, the part of her that was afraid.

And he had liked her even more.

His stomach flutters when he sees her, he can't help but smile when she's around. She fires insults at her and there's nothing he can do but blush.

If he liked her less, the guilt would be easier to take.

Hiccup groans, and bends his head further into his lap, his fingers gripping into his hair.

All at once and with no warning, the air is filled with a screech and a roar and Hiccup jerks his head up. The trees shake and quiver. He stands up, bracing himself, holding his arms out in a defensive stance.

And then all he sees are a heaving mass of black scales, leathery wings folding out and extending high up into the sky. He's faced with wide bright green eyes, the dark slit pupils holding him still in a hypnotic gaze. Jaws open and the roaring happens once more, echoing through the trees.

Hiccup is face to face with the dragon, the great quivering snout inches from Hiccup's nose. It pounces, jumping on him, the two falling towards the floor with a crash. Hiccup's limbs are all splayed out, the dragon sitting on top of him, his paws pinning down Hiccup's arms.

Hiccup smiles.

"Hey, Toothless. Good to see you too, buddy."


	7. Camicazi's Fight

Word had travelled across all the corners of the kingdom. The rumour mill had been working overdrive, spinning, spinning and spinning until everyone in every village, in every town was talking about the disgraced soldier and the boy who hung around like a shadow.

"They say that she's biding her time, hiding out and training up," someone would mutter to someone else, leaning in close to their ear so their conversation would not be heard.

"What's she going to do?"

"They say that she's going to defeat Drago, the Dragon Conqueror."

"But nobody could defeat him… he's far too powerful."

"She could. They say that she has the strength of ten men."

The rumours continued in that fashion, only growing in their exaggeration.

"They say that she's fiercer than a Screaming Death and mightier than a Bewilderbeast."

It wasn't long before they started hailing Astrid Hofferson as their hero, their future saviour.

Astrid remained blissfully unaware of everything that was going on in the world around her, lost in the little bubble that she'd created with herself and Hiccup. She had no idea about the hero status she had just gained, no clue that she suddenly had a reputation to live up to.

Word just kept travelling, and it wasn't long before word started to travel all the way back to The City, where Drago himself was waiting.

* * *

It wasn't long before the village of Foxwyn - the one that had become Astrid and Hiccup's go-to place – came under Drago's scrutiny.

Camicazi bathes in the sun, lying back in the grass beside the stables, the place which had become her haunt since Hiccup and Astrid had visited. She always wanted to be the first person to know when they arrived; she misses her friends.

It's been a peaceful day, but everything shatters to pieces when the sound of shrieking fills the air. Camicazi's limbs tense and she slips into soldier mode, reaching for her weapon and heading for the centre of the village.

She almost stops when she sees what's waiting for there, but hellfire, she's a trained soldier and she doesn't back down for anything. In the middle of the square, Drago sits astride a huge armoured dragon, which snarls at the villagers, blowing a plume of smoke up into the air.

The villagers shrink back against the buildings, parents clutching their children and herding them back into their homes. To one side she sees a set of parents clutching each other and sobbing. When she reaches the square, she sees what they're looking at.

Between the iron tight grip of Drago's meaty fingers, a young boy struggled, pulling at the hand clenched around his neck. When Camicazi gets closer, she realizes with horror that she recognizes the boy – Gustav. He'd been following her about while she was training, wanting to know as much as he could about the royal guard. He was a little over-excitable, but none-the-less a good kid. The sight of him struggling in Drago's grip, his face chalk white in terror, fills Camicazi with white hot fury, and without thinking she marches into the square, brandishing her weapon in front of her.

"Drago," she bellows, pushing her way through the crowd of people to the centre where the man stands.

Drago meets Camicazi's glare, and flashes her a twisted smile. Without taking his eyes off her, he lets go of Gustav, letting him crash to the floor. Drago slams his feet off the dragon onto the floor and takes a step towards Camicazi. The dragon takes a sluggish steps forward and sits on Gustav, stopping him from scurrying away.

Camicazi stands her ground while Drago advances, refusing to step back and refusing to look away. He gets closer and closer, until they're nose to nose, and Camicazi is looking right into his wide yellowed out. She can feel his breath, and she resists the urge to step back. She won't step back. She's determined to stare him down.

"You," he says. His voice makes Camicazi's skin crawl. "You're part of the royal guard, weren't you?"

"Yes," she says, and her voice sounds much stronger than she feels. "I am."

Drago gives a chuckle. "So that means you know Astrid Hofferson?"

Camicazi doesn't know how to answer that one, so all she does is cock an eyebrow and says "maybe I do."

"Here's what you're going to do for me," Drago drawls. "You're going to send a message to Miss Hofferson for me."

"You really must be insane if you think I'm going to do anything for you," she says, her teeth gritted.

Drago looks down and chuckles again and draws his spear. "I had a feeling you would say something like that."

Camicazi raises her weapon. Sword versus spear. In any other match she'd have an advantage, but against this opponent, it's a David and Goliath game, only she doesn't have a clever trick up her sleeve. She doesn't have a chance.

But there was no way she'd let him know that. Her fingers curl around the sword hilt. She can feel the tension rising, and if she's going to have any advantage, she's going to have to make the first blow.

She doesn't leave any room for hesitation and thrusts her sword, aiming for the weak point where his dragon skin cloak doesn't cover. He's too quick for her though, and parries her lunge with ease. She's quick to recover, and lunges again, slashing this way and that with her sword. If she could just get one good hit in…

But he hits first, a slash right across her face. Her hand rises up to her face to cover the wound and that's her undoing. She stumbles back as he pushes her down onto the floor. She clenches her teeth and tries to pull away from him but he holds her there tight, and she can't move an inch.

_This is it. _In this moment, she's one hundred per cent sure that she's going to die.

She closes her eyes, readying herself for the blow that she's sure is about to come.

But it doesn't.

Drago stands, letting go of his grip on Camicazi. She sinks into ground, breathless in the relief. Part of her wants to get back up, to jump back up into the fight, but her limbs won't do what she says, and she can't get herself up off that floor.

"Listen up, everyone," Drago bellows, addressing the whole village. "If you want this kid back, you better find Astrid Hofferson, and you tell her that to come meet me, alone and unarmoured, in the wretched swamp lands. We'll see what kind of a hero she really is."

Then he grabs Gustav by the neck, out from under the dragon. Then he climbs aboard, and with a flap of wings, he's gone.

No one in the square speaks.

Camicazi shifts herself up into a sitting position, still breathing heavily. Her cheek and her hand are both covered in blood.

Soon, everyone starts speaking at once, and she barely registers someone pulling her up and off the ground, taking her to Gothi's house. She remains catatonic while Gothi spreads a salve across her face that makes her skin sting.

It's not until later, when she's back in the inn, sitting at her table in the corner alone, that she breaks out of her state. Her hands shaking, she reaches for a leaf of paper, and begins penning a letter to Astrid and Hiccup.

* * *

The letter arrives late, a lot later than it should have.

Hiccup and Astrid had spent the morning in the stables, grooming the horse. The sun was shining, and the pair were enjoying their time, bantering back and forth in the way that they had grown so accustomed to.

"We still need to name this guy," Hiccup says, fondly patting the horse.

"Oh no. No. Nope," Astrid says. "Not happening."

"What? Why?"

"You named the cat Fiddlesticks."

"This again!" Hiccup says, throwing his hands up in the air in mock annoyance.

Astrid finds herself unable to hold back a giggle, covering her mouth with her hand as she turns away to pick up another brush. She's grown fond of Hiccup's dramatics. Hiccup can't help but feel triumphant; no matter what, he's always going to enjoy the feeling that he made Astrid smile. They continue on like this for a while, until their laughter comes to an end, when someone comes rushing up the path, screeching out the two of their names.

"What's going on?" Astrid says, hurrying out of the stables, to see a man she just about recognises from the village.

"Camicazi asked me to bring you this as soon as possible," the man says, holding out the scrap of paper.

Astrid takes it and her eyes flicker down page.

"What's it say?" Hiccup asks.

"She wants us to go there as soon as possible," she says. "She says it's really important."

They look up for answers from the messenger, but he's nowhere to be found.

* * *

Something is wrong.

The light that their sunny village had once emitted had been extinguished. Shutters are closed. Though they couldn't have been gone for more than a month, all the flowers seem to have wilted in their absence. No one greets them when they pass through, no one but a big gust of wind that made goose bumps prick on Astrid's skin.

She spares Hiccup a wary glance, and neither of them say anything as she slowly leads the horse into the village, the sound of hooves against the cobbled floor uncomfortably loud against the quiet. After they reach the stables and tether the horse next to a trough of water and food, the first place they head for is the inn.

The door creaks loudly as they open it, and when they step inside, silence falls, and everyone there turns to stare at them. Then come the whispers and sideway glances.

The first person to acknowledge them is Camicazi, who had been sitting alone in her corner, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. When the pair enter, she slips herself around and stamps onto the floor, marching over towards them.

"Christ, you guys took your sweet time getting here," she says, folding her arms. "I thought you weren't coming."

She grabs Astrid's wrist, pulling her out of the inn and back out into the cold.

"Probably wasn't the best idea for you to show your face in there," Camicazi mutters, pushing her hair behind her ear when the wind messes it up. "They think it's your fault that this happened to the town."

Astrid reaches out and grips Camicazi's arm, forcing her to look up at the two of them. "What's going on?"

Camicazi sighs. "Drago was here."

"What?!"

"Yep. I tried to protect the town, but he's too strong."

It's now that Astrid notices the long, red scar running down the side of Camicazi's face, and her blood begins to run cold. She reaches out her hand, and with the gentlest touch of her fingertips she traces the scar. Camicazi flinches at the touch and steps away, dropping herself onto the ground, her back leaning against the wall of the inn. She rakes her fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry we weren't here," Hiccup mumbles, but Camicazi shakes her head.

"It's not your fault." Her fingers rub against her eyelids.

Astrid can't speak, the anger in her chest brewing up again so much that she doesn't know what to say. Thank God for Hiccup, always the level-headed one, always the one who knew what to say.

He places a comforting hand on Camicazi's shoulder. "What happened?"

She sighs again, her fingers twisting in the grass and yanking it away from the ground, absentmindedly. With a third sigh, she relates the whole sorry story to the pair of them.

There is quiet once more. No one really has anything to say.

That is until Astrid reaches out a fist and slams it against the wall.

Camicazi and Hiccup stare wide eyed at her and find themselves unable to do anything but gape as she turns around and stomps away. Then, Hiccup comes to his senses and chases after.

"Astrid!" he calls, running after her. "Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?!" she yells, not bothering to turn and look back around at him. "It's my fault Gustav was taken, so I've got to get him back."

"You'll get yourself killed!"

"I don't care."

Hiccup runs faster to reach her and places his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from moving anywhere else.

"This is crazy, Astrid. We need to stop and think."

Astrid gives an exasperated sigh. "What do you suggest, then?"

Hiccup thinks for moment. "I have an idea of what could help us," he says. "But Astrid, there's something I need to tell you first."


End file.
